Clara Chou | |
---|---|
周玉蔻 | |
Born |
Keelung, Taiwan | 9 September 1953
Alma mater |
National Chengchi University Harvard University (MPA) Peking University (EMBA) |
Occupations |
|
Political party |
Kuomintang (before 2000; 2008–2014) Taiwan Solidarity Union (2006) |
Spouse |
Lee Hyun-Reng
(
m. 2001;
div. 2017) |
Clara Chou or Chou Yuh-kow ( Chinese: 周玉蔻; pinyin: Zhōu Yùkòu; Wade–Giles: Chou Yu-kou; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chiu Gio̍k-khò͘; born 9 September 1953) is a Taiwanese journalist, television and radio personality.
Chou was born in Keelung. After graduating from Keelung Girl's Senior High School, she attended the National Chengchi University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism. She then entered Harvard University, where she graduated with a degree in Master of Public Administration, followed by a degree in Executive Master of Science in Business Administration at the Peking University's Guanghua School of Management. [1]
From 2012 until 2021, she anchored Chou Chou Breakfast (蔻蔻早餐) from 7:00 to 9:00 every weekday on Hit FM.
In 2014, Chou accused President Ma Ying-jeou of accepting donations from the Ting Hsin International Group. [2] At the time, the company was investigated as part of the 2014 Taiwan food scandal. Chou believed Ma had a hand in covering up Ting Hsin's role in the incident. [3] In December, Ma filed two lawsuits against Chou for the comments she made. [4] She countered with a lawsuit against the Kuomintang, targeting acting party chairperson Wu Den-yih. [5] Chou was stripped of her KMT membership later that month, [6] [7] days after she had presented evidence of the party's alleged misdeeds. [8] In December 2015, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chou on charges of defamation in connection to her comments about Ting Hsin. [9] The first ruling in Ma's court case against Chou was handed down later that month. The Taipei District Court found her not guilty of defamation. [10] [11] Ma appealed the verdict to the Taiwan High Court. [12]
Chou made further accusations of the KMT in June 2015, this time against then-unconfirmed presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu, claiming that Hung's master's degree from Northeast Missouri State University was falsified. [13] [14] Hung sued Chou and the Next Magazine employees who first published the accusations. [15] Chou further stated in August that Hung was thinking of ending her presidential run early in return for a legislative position or money. In response, Hung charged Chou with defamation again. [16] That same month, Terry Gou was awarded NT$2 million in his defamation suit against Chou, who had accused Gou of violating the Political Donations Act in January. [17] [18]
Chou supported the Kuomintang, before the party lost power in the 2000 election. After the loss, she publicly supported the Democratic Progressive Party's policies, and ran as a candidate for the Pan-Green Taiwan Solidarity Union in the 2006 Taipei City municipal election. [1] She was expelled from the TSU during her mayoral campaign for suggesting that President Chen Shui-bian resign in the wake of First Lady Wu Shu-chen's indictment for graft, [19] [20] though her name still appeared on the ballot as the TSU candidate. [21] The expulsion was later reduced to a suspension. [22] By 2008, Chou had rejoined the KMT. [1] After Ma Ying-jeou resigned as KMT chair in December 2014, Chou tried to run for the position, but was rejected. [23]
2006 Taipei City Mayoral Election Result | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | ||
1 | Li Ao | Independent | 7,795 | 0.61% | ||
2 | Clara Chou [a] | Taiwan Solidarity Union | 3,372 | 0.26% | ||
3 | Frank Hsieh | Democratic Progressive Party | 525,869 | 40.89% | ||
4 | James Soong [b] | Independent | 53,281 | 4.14% | ||
5 | Hau Lung-pin | Kuomintang | 692,085 | 53.81% | ||
6 | Ke Tsi-hai ( 柯賜海) | Independent | 3,687 | 0.29% |
In 1998, Chou claimed that she and Daniel Huang had an affair. [26] She married Lee Hyun-Reng in 2001. [27]